After seven or eight seconds, a plump, juicy xiaolong mantou appeared in his palm.

Although the pleats were still not perfectly even, there were exactly twenty-one of them—no more, no less—and you could tell it was in the shape of a chrysanthemum carp’s mouth.

Charles Carter hadn’t said anything yet, but his apprentice was already staring blankly, as if doubting the very meaning of his own existence.

He recalled his own clumsy days as a student, when his mind and hands never seemed to work together, and he couldn’t count how many times his master had scolded him.

“A genius, you’re truly a genius in the world of dough!” Charles Carter was visibly excited, his old face alight. “When I used to read martial arts novels, I’d always hear about some slow-witted fool who had to practice a move for ages before mastering it.”

As he said this, Charles Carter shot a disdainful glance at his own apprentice.

He continued, “But some martial arts prodigies only need to see a move once to remember it all and imitate it almost perfectly. I never believed such people existed, but now I’ve seen it with my own eyes.”

At this moment, John Grant chimed in from the side, “Master Carter, Ethan is a study god. He ranked in the top ten in the whole province on the college entrance exam. He only didn’t go to Beijing for university because of his girlfriend—he applied to our Zhendan University instead.”

“Ah, well…” Ethan Brooks suddenly felt a bit numb.

I only ranked ninety-something on the college entrance exam, and the only reason I didn’t go to Beijing was because my score wasn’t high enough. Besides, I didn’t even have a girlfriend back then.

But before he could explain—

Charles Carter was already wearing an “I see, no wonder” expression, sighing, “So you’re a top student from a prestigious university. No wonder you learn so fast—much better than those who come out of culinary schools.”

As he spoke, he once again shot a harsh, disdainful look at his own apprentice.

His apprentice was on the verge of tears.

Master, you used to say that even though my talent was average, I made up for it with hard work. Why are you looking down on me now?

Uh…

Ethan Brooks could only feel helpless.

What’s this about top students from prestigious universities learning faster? That’s just a stereotype.

If you had a few of those geniuses from my class try this, their hand-eye coordination might not even be as good as your apprentice’s.

“Come on, come on, let’s not waste time—let’s keep practicing.” Charles Carter was more enthusiastic than ever toward Ethan Brooks, starting to help him polish every detail step by step from the very beginning.

And Ethan Brooks, eager to learn, made astonishing progress as he rolled out dough and folded pleats again and again. His movements became increasingly smooth and fluid, and every xiaolong mantou he made had thin skin, generous filling, and exactly twenty-one even pleats.

His proficiency and technique still seemed a bit inferior to Charles Carter’s.

But Ethan Brooks was handsome, with fair, slender fingers like a pianist’s, and every movement was a pleasure to watch.

At some point—

Director Carter appeared behind him, and the camera filming behind-the-scenes footage captured Ethan Brooks’s increasingly skillful and aesthetically pleasing process.

His eyes were wide with shock, his short, stocky body trembling, and a flood of creative inspiration surged uncontrollably through his mind.

I can’t control my inspiration at all.

A single continuous shot—this is absolutely the best material for a one-take scene.

No need to switch cameras, no need for a hand double—Ethan Brooks’s hands are perfect.

I have to film both him and his hands together.

He had a feeling that once this shot aired, it would leave an indelible impression on the audience—especially the female viewers.

……

Chapter 12: The Third “Skill Card”

……

Under Charles Carter’s enthusiastic guidance, Ethan Brooks also tried learning the techniques for kneading dough and preparing fillings.

For Ethan Brooks, who had loaded the skill cards 【Card Control】 and 【Divine Sense】, learning and mastering these skills was as easy as eating or drinking.

Soon, he was called away by the crew to get his makeup done and change into costume in the dressing room, officially entering the filming set.

In the bright main hall, two sets of dough-making workstations had already been set up, and the competition area for filming was ready.

A huge banner was hung up, reading 【King of Chefs Championship】. In the center of the area, three judges’ tables were set up, and several actors playing judges were already in place, chatting quietly among themselves.

There were also quite a few extras around, some acting as competition staff, some as media reporters, and some as onlookers.

All the cameras were in position.

“Mr. Brooks.”

As soon as the assistant director saw Ethan Brooks, he warmly pulled him into the competition area, first filming a few background shots, then adjusting the angle to shoot several entrance shots, and finally leading him to the second cooking station, signaling for him to stand behind the workstation. “Please get familiar with the workstation and ingredients. In a moment, you’ll be partnered with Chef Clark to film a few close-up shots of knife skills.”

At this point, a man in his twenties, dressed as a chef, was already standing by the stove.

He looked neat and clean, with long, slender fingers—obviously the hand double originally prepared for Ethan Brooks, the “Chef Clark” the assistant director had mentioned.

After a brief exchange, Chef Clark began introducing the workstation and various ingredients to Ethan Brooks.